Ask Bicycling: Ascending Skills

What's the difference between how much being skinny helps you climb and how much being heavy helps you descend?
It would seem simple: The lighter rider crests the hill first and the heavier rider makes it down first. But there's more to the puzzle than weight, says Tim Hall, head cycling coach at Lees-McRae College in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. True, a lighter rider may have less mass to drag up a hill, but will struggle if he lacks strength and a solid aerobic engine. And plenty of heavier riders are able to scamper up an incline. Descending, on the other hand, comes down to skill before weight, power, or any other physiological factor. "It's about knowing how to take the fastest line, when to brake, use momentum, and power out of turns," Hall says, adding that the sweet spot is when you can match your skill with physical strength.

How do I keep my bike from slamming backwards when I stand on a climb?
This is a feat of complex and nuanced proportions, worth a lifetime of study, but the simplest and most effective tip is: Before you stand, shift into the next hardest gear.

How do I learn to wheelie?
This is about finding the balance between tipping forward and back. (And for the record, you don't need a full-face helmet and body armor to master it.) The biggest obstacle is overcoming the instinct to keep both wheels on the ground, says Lee McCormack, a skills instructor in Boulder, Colorado. When most of us approach the point at which it feels like we're about to topple backward, McCormack says, there's a stress response and we back off. He recommends practicing in sneakers on a mountain bike with flat pedals. To create enough pedaling torque to raise the front wheel, shift into a gear that gives you a roughly 1:1 ratio (equal chainring and cog size). Soft pedal a few strokes on flat terrain, then do a sharp, quick power stroke as you also lift upward on the handlebar and lean backward. Keep pedaling, and the front will lift while the back wheel feels as if it is surging forward under you. Scary? Sure. That's where the platform pedals come in. When you fear you're going to be flung backward, "just step off the back," says McCormack. Then try again, and again, until that panic reflex goes away. Experiment with torque and balance until you hit the sweet spot where the front of the bike floats in a sustainable position. To end a wheelie, simply tap the rear brake to bring the front wheel back down. Pretty soon you'll be nailing Danny MacAskill impressions.

I'm left-handed. Will I screw up the cyclocross race if I dismount on the drive side?
After a lifetime of fumbling with scissors and gadgets, you understandably want to avoid kowtowing to the right-handed power complex—and we not only applaud you, we can offer support. Dismounting on the right (or drive) side feels natural for a lot of southpaws—and even some right-handers, like elite rider Amy Cutler of Guru Cycles Haute Wheels Racing. As long as you're willing to put up with lodging your drivetrain into your back, there's no reason to force yourself to dismount on society's terms. Cutler suggests you start by practicing on the side that feels most comfortable, but work on mastering both. "Despite a few grease-stained kits, dismounting to the right sometimes can be an advantage," she says, "especially when the ideal line is on the far left." Now, if only using spiral notebooks could be made easier.

How can I learn to ride no-handed?
First, get comfortable pedaling with one hand off the bar, says Peter Glassford, owner of Smart Athlete in Collingwood, Ontario, and a mountain bike racer for Trek Canada. For safety and stability, keep one hand on the top of the bar, closer to the stem than the outer end, with your thumb curled under it to make sure your grip doesn't slip if you happen to hit a bump; if you keep your hand on the hood, in the drops, or too far outward, you're more likely to lose control. Lift your opposite hand a couple of inches off the bar for a few seconds. When that feels natural, work on the other hand. Once you can remove either hand for at least five seconds, practice reaching back into your pockets with each hand (still keeping one on the bar). When you're comfortable with that kind of multitasking, experiment with taking both hands off the bar and pedaling for a few strokes. Several things to keep in mind: • Momentum is your friend—and so are slight declines. • Always look ahead.Your bike goes where your eyes go. • Sit upright. Rotate your pelvis back so you're not falling toward the handlebar. • Ease into it. Resist the urge to push off the bar into the upright position.

Why was there never a sequel to Breaking Away?
Because no one—not even Steve Tesich himself, who won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the script—could ever, ever, ever beat the first one. If someone tried, we'd all end up asking for a refund. (Refund?!!) Of note: A year after the 1979 film's debut, Tesich and director Peter Yates teamed up for a TV series that served as a prequel and was cancelled after seven episodes; you can catch it on YouTube. And in 1985, Tesich penned another cycling classic, American Flyers, which features the finest wheel change in all of cinematic history, by Rae Dawn Chong.

Why am I seeing so many tires with tan sidewalls? Is it just a cool trend, or is there another reason?
Tan sidewalls were once ubiquitous because many tires used to be made with light-colored cotton casing. Nowadays vulcanized clincher tires generally are made with rubber (usually black or dyed another color). "There was a trend about a year ago with tan on vulcanized clinchers," says Chris Clinton of Challenge Tires. "It reminds people of traditional tires." And there's another reason: Cotton and silk casings are making a comeback, too, showing up under some of the world's top pros—from Tony Martin, who rode Specialized Turbo Cotton tires in the Tour de Suisse, to Nino Schurter, who won the Windham, New York, XC World Cup on Dugast Pipisquallos. Why? Superior grip and suppleness. Even though they are pricier and may require more maintenance, Clinton says, road and cyclocross tires with fabric casings have sold well for Challenge this year.

Do I need better tubes? When I check my tire pressure before I get on the bike, it's down to 40 to 60 psi even though I pump them to 100 before every ride.
Probably not, says Kyle Robinson, service manager at Pure Energy Cycling & Java House in Lambertville, New Jersey. For the most part, there's not a huge quality difference from one inner tube to the next, though latex tubes (which are lighter) seep air quicker than butyl tubes (which are cheaper). It's normal for air to pass through a tube. On a tire pumped to 100 psi, Robinson says, expect to lose 10 to 15 psi a day. If you're losing much more than that on a daily basis, it's worth checking your tube for a puncture. You can limit air loss by always closing the valves and removing the pump carefully. How? Place both thumbs under the pump head and push it off the valve in one quick motion.

Why does a jersey have three pockets instead of two or four?
Blame your drinking habit. "Traditionally, pocket size was determined by a 20-ounce water bottle," says Josh Cook, retail brand manager at Pactimo, a Colorado-based apparel company. And there's only so much room between a jersey's two side panels, so three became the magic number. When packing your pockets, apply these criteria to the contents: value, accessibility, and weight. Important items (phone, ID, money) should go in the center where they'll be safest. That's also a good place to store a jacket or a vest because it will help prevent contents from popping out. Put snacks in the side pockets for easy accessibility: Cook likes his on the right because he's more comfortable removing his right hand from the handlebar. Finally, distribute contents evenly so the jersey doesn't pull to one side from the weight. Also, if you know your Pythagoras, three is the most noble of numbers, and cycling deserves nothing less.

Why can't I wear underwear with my bike shorts?
It's not just because panty (or tighty-whitie) lines are not a good look. There are medical reasons undies are a no-no. It's like rubbing sand on your most tender skin, says Kristi H. Angevine, MD, a physician in Chattanooga, Tennessee. That doesn't sound particularly pleasant, and even less appealing is the fact that the chafing can lead to open sores. Gross. If that isn't bad enough, they can end up infected. Her remedy? "Strip down, then chamois up." Saddle sores can still happen even if you go commando under your shorts. Avoid them by using chamois cream to prevent friction, and change out of your shorts promptly after a ride.

Is there any way to get mud out of a white kit?
Yes, as long as you get to it right away. A couple of suggestions: Remove your kit while it's still freshly soiled. Blast with a power washer or the strongest stream of water available (singlespeed 'cross world champ Mo Bruno Roy sometimes resorts to those superblaster hoses found in a carwash). Scrub mud with bar soap, let soak if necessary, and wash as usual. If you can't get to the cleaning right away, put the kit in a plastic bag to keep it wet (stains set when they dry). Niki Detrick, head U.S. soigneur at UHC Pro Cycling, who has managed dirty laundry for 28 years, says she puts kits in the washer right away, sets the temp to warm (hot water fades colors, but warm water removes body oils and grease), adds OxiClean pods, and goes with a cold rinse. Bonus tip: "If the kits are really gritty, the guys shower in them first."

How do you guys pick what you review in the magazine? Are you ever able to say you didn't like a product?
For the most part, the products we review on these pages and on BICYCLING.com are the ones we think are worth showcasing—the bikes and gear that we geek out over in our spare time and that we'd recommend to friends and family. We test a lot of product, much of which is really great, and some of which is not. We have only so much real estate, bandwidth, and staff time, so we focus on the stuff we think you should know about. In other words, we'd rather share what we believe you should buy as opposed to what we think you shouldn't. Regardless, we give honest reviews, including drawbacks—because no product is perfect, and certainly no product is perfect for everyone.

What's the story behind Bianchi's signature color?
The origins of the 129-year-old Italian company's marquee color are a bit of a mystery. "We have no real answer," says David Reed, Bianchi USA's vice president of marketing. "Years have gone by and the stories get more glorified and less truthful." Complicating the matter: Though it has always been called celeste (which translates roughly to "sky blue"), the actual shade has varied over the years from a bluish tint to its current minty green. The facts may be elusive, but the tales are wonderful. The most well-known include the notion that company founder Edoardo Bianchi made a bike at the request of the Italian queen and painted it to match her eyes. Another suggests that the color comes from toned-down surplus military paint after World War I, though references to celeste in Bianchi ads predate the war. Still another says it's the color of the sky over Milan. It doesn't matter that we may never know the real story. Celeste has come to symbolize a romanticized combination of Italian craftsmanship and cycling lore—and that's the story we hope will forever endure.

Who really killed Ottavio Bottecchia?
Forget the officially recorded cause of sunstroke, the rumors of assassination by fascists, and the farmer who reportedly confessed on his deathbed to killing the first Italian winner of the Tour de France (1924 and '25) in revenge for some stolen grapes. We can say with authority that while he was out riding on June 3, 1927, the great champion was done in by Nona, Decima, and Morta Parcae.

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